1. Filed of the Invention
The invention relates to an image receiving sheet for forming an image thereon when the image receiving sheet is closely held against a photosensitive recording medium and is pressed thereto, and for transferring the image thus transferred on the image receiving sheet onto an optional image receiving medium.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, there is an image recording method which is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 61-275742. In the image recording method, a plurality of microcapsules each encapsulating therein not only color forming material made from dye or pigment but also, at least, silver halide, reducing agent, and polymerizable compound, are employed. More specifically, a photosensitive recording medium having a base sheet with the microcapsules uniformly coated thereon is used. When each of the microcapsules is exposed to light, the microcapsule forms an latent image speck therein. Therefore, when the light having an image information selectively exposes the photosensitive recording medium, some of the microcapsules are exposed and others are not exposed. The exposed microcapsules each form the latent image speck therein. Each of the microcapsules having the latent image speck is hardened by heat. However, each of the microcapsules which does not form the latent image speck therein is not hardened by heat. Thus, a first latent image is formed on the photosensitive recording medium. In other words, the first latent image is represented by microcapsules having the latent image speck therein and the microcapsules having no latent image speck therein.
Next, the photosensitive recording medium, which was exposed to the light having the image information, is heated by a heating device. The microcapsules having the latent image speck therein are hardened and a second latent image is thereby formed on the photosensitive recording medium. In other words, the second latent image is represented by the hardened microcapsules and the unhardened microcapsules. After this, the photosensitive recording medium is superposed on the image receiving sheet and is pressed thereto The unhardened microcapsules are ruptured and the color forming materials, made from dye or pigment, flow out of each of the ruptured microcapsules and are transferred onto the image receiving sheet. As a result, an image is formed on the image receiving sheet. The above-mentioned conventional image recording method is therefore capable of performing a highly-sensitive image recording operation of a dry type for recording a desired image on the image receiving sheet.
However, with the above-mentioned conventional image forming method, it is impossible to transfer the image onto an optional article having an arbitrary shape. For example, it is impossible to transfer the image onto cloth having a size that is too large to be introduced into a pressing device for pressing the photosensitive image recording medium toward the cloth.
To address the above-mentioned problem, an applicant of the present invention previously proposed an image receiving sheet 23 in the specifications and drawings of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/911,978, filed Jul. 10, 1992. As shown in FIG. 6, the proposed image receiving sheet 23 includes a support member 20 and a porous absorbing layer 22 provided thereon. The porous absorbing layer 22 contains fine particles 21 having a heat-meltable or thermoplastic property.
Hereinafter, a method of forming an image on an optional transferred medium having an arbitrary shape with the image receiving sheet 23 and the photosensitive recording medium will be explained.
First, as described above, the photosensitive recording medium which is exposed to the light, having the image formation, is then heated by the heating device. Then, the second latent image bearing surface of the photosensitive recording medium, that is, the microcapsules side thereof is superposed on and pressed toward the porous absorbing layer 22 of the image receiving sheet 23 so that the unhardened microcapsules are ruptured. The dye or the pigment flows from the ruptured microcapsules. The dye or the pigment from the ruptured microcapsules is absorbed in spaces between the fine particles 21 and held therein. As a result, the image is formed on the porous absorbing layer 22.
Next, the image receiving sheet 23 is peeled from the photosensitive recording medium. Further, the image receiving sheet 23, having the porous absorbing layer 22 thereon, is placed, face down, on the optional transferred medium. The image receiving sheet 23 is pressed toward the transferred medium and, further, heated by an iron or other heat source. Thus, the porous absorbing layer 22 is melted onto the optional transferred medium and attaches thereto. Finally, the supporting layer 20 of the image receiving sheet 23 is peeled off so that the image (re-transferred image) is left formed on the transferred medium.
The retransferred image formed by the transferring method using the above-mentioned image receiving sheet 23, contains a polymerizable compound which is a stimulus to the skin, such as TMPTA [trimethylolpropane triacrylate]. Therefore, there is a fear that some persons may have a reaction, such as itchy skin, when they touch the surface of the retransferred image.